A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
by The-23rd-Brick-in-the-Wall
Summary: The final moments of Steve's past life terrorize him at night, making him toss, turn, and cry out the moment his eyes close. Lucky for the super soldier, Tony will always be there to wake him up, to tell him that he isn't back in the ice, to reassure him that he's alive, to make sure he knows he's not alone. The Man of Iron might even sing for him. Song belongs to F. Sinatra.


_ The frigid air cut through Steve's uniform like daggers, but he couldn't have cared less. The train was going at unbelievable speeds, the landscape zooming past in the blink of an eye. Clutching to the railing of the nearly severed door of the train, the super soldier leaned as far off of the metal would allow without letting go._

_ 'BUCKY! TAKE MY HAND!' Steve shouted over the engine of the train, oustretching one hand towards Bucky, the other in a vice-like hold on the door's railing._

_ The creak of metal could be heard underneath Bucky's fingertips as he leaned, before Bucky reached out as far as he could for Steve's hand. Steve leaned as far as he could for Bucky, their fingertips almost brushing, before one last creak sounded from Bucky's half of the wall, the support for the railing collapsing, taking Bucky along with it._

_ 'NO!" Steve cried, throwing his arm out in one last desperate attempt to save his best friend's life. The last image that he had of his best friend was of Bucky falling off of the train into the frigid oceanic waters of the Atlantic, screaming out, still desperately reaching out for Steve._

_ CRASH! _

_ The loud noise of glass shattering and metal thrashing around in the airship was the last thing Steve heard before he was knocked unconscious at the impact. Fortunately or unfortunately, the darkness only consumed him for a number of minutes. The airship, from what Steve could tell, had crashed into a large glacier in the middle of the Atlantic, and the weight and impact of the crash had caused the aircraft to sink, rather quickly apparently._

_ The impact of the crash had thrown Steve out of the pilot seat, and around the airship, seeing as how he was now lying among the broken bits and pieces of various metal and glass. The sudden rush of water and ice rushed in from the cracked dashboard, and a few other crevices in the aircraft. The noise caused Steve to blink his eyes open, and his mind had finally registered what had happened. The water slowly pooled around him, and his mind snapped drowsily to attention._

_ Steve tried his hardest to stand, to sit up, even to flex his fingers, but just the thought of moving sent a shooting pain down his body. Even as the frigid water continued to drift in quickly, Steve tried his hardest to move. But the only response that his body would send was a writhe of pain. Something was broken… EVERYTHING felt broken. Howard said that he would be able to recuperate and regenerate health faster than ever thought possible… But these wounds would take much longer to heal. By the time they did, it would be too late. Sure, the serum gave him healing capabilities. But would it protect him from drowning?_

_ After moments of writhing in agony, which really felt like hours, Steve finally stopped resisting, and lay still, staring at the ceiling above him with tired, defeated azure eyes. The water was still pooling around him slowly, already covering his whole body in a frigid 'blanket', so to speak, of liquid. The sound of glass cracking from the dashboard reached his ears, before the dashboard finally shattered under the depth and pressure of the water. All of a sudden, water rushed into the lobby of the airship, the whole lobby filled with water to the ceiling in a matter of seconds._

_ Steve's eyes had now closed, as he awaited an inevitable end. Frigid wasn't even close to the bitter, freezing cold water that surrounded him, the liquid feeling like ice cold, sharp knives, stabbing every inch of his body relentlessly, until his entire being slowly succumbed to frigid numbness. The last breath that he had sucked in before the water encased him was burning in his chest, before he finally exhaled it. Lungs desperately pleaded for air, but not a single molecule of oxygen could be found._

_ Steve's life flashed before his eyes: his childhood in Brooklyn, the hot summer days spent playing baseball at the neighborhood sand lot, Bucky and him causing major mischief during school, all of his relentless tries to join the army, finally getting a chance, transforming from a toothpick, weak, puny kid into a strong, valiant, tall super soldier, the missions that he had accomplished. All of the people he had cared for flashed behind his eyelids: Bucky, Howard, Dr. Erskine, General Phillips, Peggy. _

_**Peggy**__. _

_ Steve would never get to have that dance. _

_ 'Forgive me, Peggy.'_

_ That was the last thought in Steve's mind, before his lungs __**burned**__ in their need for air, and the super soldier's instincts caused him to gasp for air, only to inhale frigid ice water What seemed like hours of drowning would finally result in the bitter, unforgiving darkness consuming him whole…_

"Steve? _Steve!"_

Steve's eyes shot open in a flash, blue eyes darting around in a panic. Above him, the dark figure of a person loomed, but the figure was friendly, not hostile. Instead of a black metallic ceiling above him, a white panoramic ceiling caught his gaze. The hard, cold floor of the airship was replaced by the soft fabric of a mattress and sheets, that were now clutched tightly in his hands, turning his knuckles white. Instead of water rushing past his ears, pellets of rain and the hustle bustle of late night Manhattan could be heard on the other side of a large glass window. A thin, cold sheet of sweat adorned his body, skin sticking to the sheets. Even with the sheets, the blanket, and the fact that he was sweating, Steve was still _cold_.

Steve sat up in bed suddenly, causing the figure beside him to almost fall backwards at the sudden motion. Steve buried his head in his hands, the heels of his palms digging into his eyes to try and rid himself of the countless memories plaguing his mind.

"Steve, are you alright?" The figure beside him asked, placing a hand on his back gently, rubbing in soothing circular motions.

Steve's ears perked up at the voice, his head rising from his hands to stare at said person, momentarily forgetting that someone else was in the room. The only someone that would be able to calm him down at a moment like this. Deep brown eyes were studying Steve with a look mixed with confusion and worry. Short brown hair was slightly mussed from sleep. Lightly tanned skin was hidden behind a wife beater and a pair of sweats.

"Tony," Steve breathed, before he wrapped his arms around the smaller man's frame, hugging him tightly, pulling him flush against his chest.

Tony's eyes widened momentarily, but without a second thought, Tony wrapped his arms around Steve's neck, hugging him back just as tightly.

"It's okay, Cap. I'm here. _You're_ here," Tony murmured in Steve's ear, running a hand through his golden locks soothingly. Tony knew what was wrong. Steve had had another nightmare… At first, Tony woke to the sound of incoherent mumbling from Steve, words barely audible. Thinking it was just a dream and that it would pass, Tony smiled at him, before trying to go back to sleep. Moments passed, before the mumbling became words, and the words came close to shouting. The only words that he would repeat were,_ 'Bucky - No - Peggy - Sorry'_. Tony had to admit, he was jealous. But… Peggy was Steve's first love. You never fully 'get over' your first love. Realizing that Steve was having another nightmare, Tony tried to gently rouse him from his sleep, but Steve must have been deep in his slumber, because it took him an entire minute to finally wake him.

Steve said nothing, just clutched to Tony as if he was his lifeline. Sheets, blankets, not even the sun could compare to the warmth radiating off of Tony's body, instantly warming Steve to the core. Steve buried his head into the juncture of Tony's neck and shoulder inhaling the sweet scent of musk, motor oil, coffee beans, and something else that could only be described as _Tony_. Steve had to make sure that this was real. That _he _was real. He couldn't stand it if this was all just a ruse. What if he was back in the ice?

Tony continued to murmur comforting words into Steve's ear, as Steve's breathing slowly began to steady. Minutes passed by in silence as the two basked in the ambience of one another, Steve grasping Tony as if he would disappear into thin air, and Tony hugging Steve, calming and hopefully reassuring Steve that everything was going to be okay. Once Steve's breathing had evened out, Tony realized that Steve was fucking cold. Not just cold. The super soldier was like a_ sexy block of ice_.

"My God, Steve. You're freezing. Let me go get a few more blankets," Tony murmured, pulling away from the strong, warm embrace.

Tony was about to stand from the bed, before Steve's hand shot out and curled around his wrist like a vice.

"No!" Steve exclaimed desperately.

Tony's eyes widened, a bit startled at the outburst.

Steve bowed his head, eyes finding a very interesting pattern in the design of the sheets.

"Please don't leave me…"

Tony's heart nearly cracked at the desperation and sadness that filled Steve's voice.

An understanding smile played against Tony's lips, as he slipped under the covers next to Steve, causing Steve to release his tight grip.

Steve was still looking down, embarrassed at his request, before Tony raised his hands to the sides of his face, causing Steve to look up.

Tony smiled slightly, cradling Steve's face between his hands, thumbs caressing the skin gently.

"I will never leave you, Steve."

Clouded blue eyes brightened slightly, along with a saddened frown transforming into a sheepish smile.

Tony pulled his head down gently, and pressed his lips firmly against Steve's, causing Steve's eyes to close at the touch.

Tony gently pushed Steve down, so that the back of his head was resting against the pillow, before Tony reached for the sheets and the blanket, pulling them over both him and Steve, feeling Steve's eyes on him the entire time. As soon as Tony made sure that both he and Steve were covered by the sheets, he sat up in bed, shoulders and neck resting against the headboard, He turned towards Steve, whose eyes were starting to cloud again, but from exhaustion instead of sadness. Smiling once again, Tony held open his arms, where Steve immediately responded, wrapping his arms around his waist, head resting on Tony's chest, the softness, warmth, and scent of Tony bringing him a comfort that he never would have thought existed.

Tony's arms wrapped around Steve's shoulders, barely an inch of space between the two. Moments passed by in silence, breaths and heartbeats syncing together, before Tony quietly began to hum. Before either one of them realized it, Tony had started to sing softly.

_'That certain night, the night we met,_

_ There was magic abroad in the air._

_ There were angels dining at the ritz,_

_ And a nightingale sang in berkeley square.'_

Steve's arms tightened around Tony's waist, a small smile adorning the features of his face as he looked up at him. The corners of Tony's mouth tugged upwards in a smile as well. Brown eyes locked with azure.

_'I may be right, I may be wrong,_

_ But I'm perfectly willing to swear_

_ That when you turned and smiled at me,_

_ A nightingale sang in berkeley square.'_

The rain that coming down in bullets earlier had softened into a light, soothing drizzle. The cars and people outside of Stark Tower seemed to silence themselves in the night, as if all of time had stopped momentarily.

_'The moon that lingered over london'town_

_ Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown._

_ How could he know that we two were so in love?_

_ The whole darn world seemed upside down.'_

Through the dark, ominous clouds looming in the sky, moonlight shined in the apartment complex, causing both Steve and Tony to revel in the appearance of the unearthly, breath-taking appearance of one another.

_ 'The streets of town were paved with stars,_

_ It was such a romantic affair._

_ And as we kissed and said goodnight,_

_ A nightingale sang in berkeley square.'_

During the song, Tony had began to run one hand through Steve's hair, the other hand gently caressing his cheek in a comforting manner. Steve leaned into the touch, savoring the soft brush of skin.

_'When dawn came stealing up, all gold and blue_

_ To interrupt our rendez-vous,_

_ I still remember how you smiled and said,_

_ "Was that a dream? Or was it true?'_

Steve's eyelids slowly began to fall, the fear of nightmares escaping him completely, replaced instead with a mixture of contentment, drowsiness, and comfort. Eyes finally closed as the last lines of the song escaped from Tony's lips.

_'Our homeward step was just as light_

_ As the dancing of fred astaire,_

_ And like an echo far away_

_ A nightingale sang in berkeley square.'_

The last words of the song echoed into the silence, the soft hum of rain still lingering in the background. Tony smiled at the sleeping form of Steve, before pressing his lips against his temple gently.

"Goodnight, Spangles," Tony teased lightly, sliding underneath the covers.

Steve's eyes opened just the slightest, and he gave Tony a dazzling smile that made the genius' heart leap into his throat. Steve sat up faintly, pressing his lips against Tony's in a gentle yet longing kiss.

"I love you, Tony," Steve breathed as he pulled away hesitantly, once again giving him that heart-stopping smile, tightening his hold around his waist slightly.

The true thing that made Tony's heart stop was what Steve had just confessed. Tony blinked, barely registering what he had said a few seconds later, before he returned the smile, nuzzling his face into Steve's neck.

"I love you too, Steve."


End file.
